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Scalpay

Gaelic name	Sgalpaigh (na Hearadh)
Pronunciation	[ˈs̪kal̪ˠpaj] (listen)
Norse name	Skalprøy[1]
Meaning of name	scallop island or ship Island
Location
Scalpay Scalpay shown within Outer Hebrides
OS grid reference	NG214965
Coordinates	57°52′N 6°41′W / 57.87°N 6.69°W / 57.87; -6.69
Physical geography
Island group	Lewis and Harris
Area	653 ha (2.5 sq mi)
Area rank	66 [2]
Highest elevation	Beinn Scorabhaig 104 m (341 ft)
Administration
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Scotland
Council area	Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Demographics
Population	291[3]
Population rank	26 [2]
Population density	44.5 people/km2[1][3]
Largest settlement	Am Baile (The Village)
References	[1][4][5]

Scalpay (/ˈskɔːlˌpeɪ/; Scottish Gaelic: Sgalpaigh or Sgalpaigh na Hearadh; i.e. "Scalpay of Harris" to distinguish it from Scalpay off Skye) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

Geography

Scalpay, looking roughly west to the North Harris hills.

Scalpay is around 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) long and rises to a height of 104 metres (341 feet) at Beinn Scorabhaig. The area of Scalpay is 653 hectares (2.52 sq mi). The main settlement on the island is at the north, near the bridge, clustered around An Acairseid a Tuath (North Harbour).

The island is peppered with small lochans. The largest of these is Loch an Duin (Loch of the Fort) which has a tiny island in it, with the remains of the fort still visible. Eilean Glas, a tiny peninsula on Scalpay's eastern shore, is home to the first lighthouse to be built in the Outer Hebrides.

Scalpay's nearest neighbour, Harris, is just 300 metres (980 feet) away across the narrows of Caolas Scalpaigh. In 1997, a bridge from Harris to Scalpay was built,^[6] replacing a ferry service.

Etymology

Mac an Tàilleir (2003) suggests the name derives from "ship island" from the Norse.^[7] However, Haswell-Smith states that the Old Norse name was Skalprøy, meaning "scallop island".^[1]

Religion

The vast majority of the locals in Scalpay are Protestants. The island is home to two Presbyterian churches, the Free Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing).

Demographics

In 2001, the island had 322 people, whose main employment was fish farming and prawn fishing. By 2011 the population had declined by 9% to 291^[3] whilst during the same period Scottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% to 103,702.^[8]

Scalpay is home to many Gaelic singers and psalm precentors. The island used to have more than 10 shops over 30 years ago but due to lack of people and work, the last shop closed in 2007. There also used to be a salmon factory, which was a major local employer from 2001 until its closure in 2005. In the spring of 2009, local newspapers reported that the factory was to reopen as a net washing facility to support the local fish farming industry. In 2012, the Scalpay community bought and opened a community shop/café, Buth Scalpaigh.^[9]

Photographer Marco Secchi lived on Scalpay for few years between 2002-2008 and documented life and landscape of the Outer Hebrides.

In 2011 the island's owner, Fred Taylor, announced that he proposed handing over the land to the local population. One proposal was that the island would be owned by a local development trust; under another proposal it would form part of the larger North Harris Trust, itself community owned.^[10] Islanders voted to accept the gift and assume community ownership of the island. They will go into partnership with the North Harris Community Trust to run the island.^[11]

See also

• Ailein Duinn

Footnotes

Coordinates: 57°52′13″N 6°41′33″W / 57.8703°N 6.6924°W / 57.8703; -6.6924